Welcome back to #AskAlethea, the series on Industry Plant dedicated to music industry career advice. For this article, we are diving into the topic of mentorship, its value, and most importantly, how do I find a music industry mentor?
In fact, I actually got asked this exact question last Thursday while volunteering for the She Is The Music Day event. One of the attendees approached me, and as we were striking up a conversation and discussing ways to get involved in the music industry in college, she asked me about finding a mentor in her specific field. This conversation inspired me to address this question, and reflect on my own journey with mentorship in the music industry.
My first experience with mentorship in the music industry actually came through She Is The Music’s Connect TogetHER mentorship program. Through this program, I was matched with a mentor in the field of interest - A&R/Publishing. My incredible mentor Sue Drew, has taught me so much about A&R, publishing, songwriting, and musical theater, and has inspired me so much from our very first Zoom call to today. She supported me with hosting my first songwriting camp and has led me to achieve some of my greatest accomplishments. Sue is one of my most important mentors to this day, and exemplifies a successful music industry role model that I look up to so much.
Mentorship has played a crucial role in my career journey, and has allowed me opportunities and professional growth. Throughout my career, I have had various figures serve as mentors, ranging from my USC professors, to my internship supervisors, and even other people in my professional circle. Having mentors to look up to inspires me and provides me with support in ways I could not thank them enough for.
Even when hearing from more established career professionals through various panels and coffee chats, one common sentiment is the value of mentorship. Mentorship has been invaluable for many people working in the music industry, especially coming from people from marginalized backgrounds. For many women in the music industry, mentorship has played a large factor in career mobility, and a lot of women in leadership roles take on mentor roles themselves. Mentorship is a hallmark of networking, which is so important for a successful music industry career.
With that being said, how do you find the right mentor for yourself? Here are some tips and tricks to have a successful mentorship:
Outreach is key! Networking with potential mentors, especially in this industry, is essential. Being diligent about reaching out is so important, as you never know what connections will end up forming a relationship with you.
Know what you want out of a mentorship. You can have a mentorship with someone that has your dream job in the future, someone with a similar background, someone with qualities you admire, someone with skills you want to develop, or even someone you look up to. For most early career professionals, finding a mentor that has a job you want in the future is the approach that they take to learn more about the role and that career path.
Be proactive and consistent. In order to have a successful mentor-mentee relationship, you have to consistently follow up with them - even just saying hi shows that you’re engaged with what they're currently doing.
Do your homework and make sure you know what you are bringing to the table. It’s best to research your mentor before engaging in a mentorship relationship. On the other hand, make sure that you are able to advocate for yourself and what exactly makes you special as a professional.
Mentorship is a two way street. A mentorship is not one-sided: even though having a mentorship provides professional learning opportunities, your mentor also will want to learn from you and your skill sets. This could even help your mentor introduce you to their network and refer you to potential job opportunities! The relationship between you and your mentee should positively impact both of you.
Look into mentorship programs. My mentorship program from She Is The Music was pivotal to my music industry career trajectory, and opened so many doors for me. There are so many incredible music industry specific mentorship programs out there, including Connect TogetHER by She Is The Music, Next Gen Femme by Femme it Forward, Grammy U, 1520 Vision, AI2M, and Women In Music.
Show appreciation for your mentor. A part of the mentor-mentee relationship is showing appreciation and giving thanks for how they are helping you in your professional journey, especially if they are someone that inspires you!
Mentorship has truly influenced my career in countless ways, and I would love to pay it forward someday when I am an established music industry professional. I hope this article helps people with finding mentors and establishing successful mentor-mentee relationships.
Thank you for reading the second edition of #AskAlethea! Thank you for reading the second edition of #AskAlethea! If you missed the first article, How Do I Know That Working In Music Is For Me?, you can check it out here.
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